The term "mailing list", as it applies to The Hummer Network (originally the HML for Hummer Mailing List), means a discussion group where the discussions are held via e-mail.

Mailing lists were an early form of Internet communities, pre-dating web forums by many years. A mailing list (aka listserv, listserve or email list) is a list of e-mail addresses of members/subscribers which has its own e-mail address (posting address). Any messages which members send to the mailing list posting address are automatically sent to all the members through mailing list software. Each member receives all messages sent to the mailing list by other members.

The HML has a digest version. The mailing list software compiles messages that go out to the main list until they reach a certain file size, then sends them all out in a single e-mail message as a "digest".

THIS IS NOT A SERVICE TO PROVIDE BROCHURES OR INFORMATION. It is an e-mail discussion group.

If you would prefer to read/post messages via the web rather than receiving a lot of e-mail (some of these mailing lists are very active), you should consider using the web forum instead. The web forum contains the same messages as the mailing lists in a convenient threaded and searchable format. The web forum and mailing list are tied together in that anything posted to a mailing list is also posted to the web forum and vice-versa. This unique system is provided to give you a choice of format, web or e-mail. You may sign up for both if you like.

Normally, there is no need to join both the main and digest versions. The digests contain the same messages as the main list, but in a different format. There is also no need to sign up for both the forum and mailing list because both contain the same messages.

Mailing lists are text-only. Images, photos and files cannot be posted the the mailing list. Please use the forum for this. Items for sale should be posted to the Hummer Marketplace.

AOL and Yahoo USERS:

AOL and Yahoo have instituted policies that prohibit their users from posting to mailing lists. any mail sent from an AOL/Yahoo address, but going through a server other than an AOL/Yahoo server, to be rejected by most of the internet. AOL's policy can be found HERE. Yahoo's policy is very similar. AOL and Yahoo users should use the web forum instead of the mailing list.

If you join any of our mailing lists, please KEEP YOUR COMPUTER FREE OF VIRUSES! A virus will find the list posting address on the infected computer and send itself, a link to an infected web page or spam out to the mailing list. Since it is coming "from" a list member, the list software will distribute it to all list members. Any member becoming infected with a virus will be removed from the list immediately.

If you employ a spam-blocking system that blocks all e-mail which does not come from senders on a list of approved senders, you should not use mailing lists because mail will come to you from a wide variety of senders.